The perfect dinner recipe for St. Paddy's if you're not a fan of more traditional Irish dishes. This linguine alfredo is made with a spinach-infused alfredo sauce that tastes like the real deal (and is nut-free!). This will be your next go-to hidden veggies dinner that you'll making on repeat. Plus, it is beyond easy and quick. What's more, it's a full meal in one dish: carbs, protein, veggies, and all! (Although I do recommend making an additional veggie on the side, such as sautéing up some spinach and stirring that in). It's time to make savory FUN again!
This is my first dinner/entrée recipe on The Dimpled Date! And boy oh boy is it incredibly delicious (to the point you wouldn't even think it's vegan)! And this is my first St. Paddy's recipe of 2023! (I know I'm a little late, but we can still celebrate right?!). This alfredo is unlike other vegan ones because it doesn't have any cashews or other nuts in the sauce. So it can be made 100% nut-free and coconut-free (if you use a vegan parmesan/mozzarella cheese that isn't coconut-based).
This pasta is a blend of my Irish and Italian heritage because it is green and it's a classic Italian pasta dish (but healthier). Albeit, I know it's not at all related to Irish cuisine in any way, but at least the color's green! This is why I'm considering it a "St. Paddy's recipe." Think of this pasta as a St. Patrick's Day dinner for those of you who don't like colcannon, Irish stew, or corned beef (although, I'm assuming most of you visiting this blog are vegan like me anyways :) ).
For this pasta I used a gluten-free Four Bean Linguine pasta, that's just what it sounds like: 4 ingredients, each a different kind of bean/legume. If you use a lentil-, bean-, or chickpea-based pasta or a similar type of pasta, you can get your dinner protein requirements just from the pasta itself. Plus, legume-based pastas are packed with fiber and healthy complex carbohydrates. But really you can use whatever kind of gluten-free pasta you want. And the shape of the pasta really doesn't matter. You can use a long pasta like linguine, fettucine, spaghetti, etc. or short pasta like rotini, rigatoni, penne, fusilli, etc. I bet you could even use rice noodles if you wanted!
This pasta is 100% vegan, gluten-free, yeast-free, and natural. And the taste is phenomenal, and the sauce is so silky! I highly recommend making this easy 30 minute dinner for something simple yet satisfying. For serving, you can serve it with chopped cherry/grape/plum tomatoes, flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper, some shaved vegan parm, and/or whatever toppings you desire.
I created this recipe by taking conventional fettuccine alfredo ingredients (e.g. dairy cream, butter, parmesan cheese) and replacing them with vegan/GF alternatives (plant milk, vegan butter, vegan cheese). Plus, I added spinach!
You'll be getting second and third helpings of this delicious entrée, trust me. Who ever said that green foods can't be delicious? Don't take my word for it, try this pasta for yourself and be the judge.
I feel like this meal would be great for picky eaters because it seriously tasty and just too fun! Even non-vegans will be hooked!
Substitutions
As previously mentioned, you may use whatever kind of gluten-free pasta you want. It can be red lentil pasta, chickpea pasta, other legume-based pastas or corn, rice, quinoa, cauliflower, or squash-based pasta or any other kind you like. Just make sure it doesn't contain any egg whites (like some pastas do). And it can be any shape, long or short. Fettuccine, linguine, and spaghetti work particularly well, but rotini, penne, rigatoni, etc. would work well too. Or, I bet you could make this pasta with rice noodles (wide/flat noodles, vermicelli, etc.) and it would still come out delish. Better yet, use homemade gluten-free pasta or homemade vegan & gluten-free tortellini or ravioli. Using a spinach pasta would work well too, even though the sauce already contains spinach. If you're not a pasta fan, try this spinach alfredo sauce on top of homemade vegan/GF pizza or as a dip for vegan/GF garlic bread. Use grain-free or paleo pasta as needed. I used four bean linguine pasta for mine because I prefer long pasta for alfredo and this type of pasta is high in protein. Use a high-protein pasta such as this one to meet your protein requirements for dinner without having to cook up an additional protein.
For the sauce, you may use any kind of unsweetened plain plant milk. It's key that you use plant milk that's unsweetened and plain because you don't want the plant milk imparting sweetness or flavors like vanilla or coconut into your alfredo sauce. Technically you can get away with using an unsweetened vanilla plant milk, but I highly recommend an unsweetened plant milk that isn't flavored. Unsweetened plain almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, or soy milk would all work well. For nut-free/coconut-free and soy-free, use unsweetened plain plant milks like rice milk, oat milk, hemp milk, pea milk, etc. The plant milk can't exactly be substituted as it constitutes the base of this sauce. The vegan butter is necessary for this sauce, but you may use any kind, store-bought (like Earth Balance or Miyoko's) or homemade vegan butter. The vegan parmesan cheese can be substituted with vegan mozzarella cheese or any other kind of vegan white cheese that would work flavor-wise (use coconut-free as needed). You can substitute nutritional yeast (if you can have it on your diet), but I don't know how much to recommend since I avoid yeast. My guess would be to start with 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, taste it, and if needed increase it 1 Tbsp at a time to taste.
The sea salt is highly recommended, but can be substituted with table salt. If you must, you can reduce it to 1/4 tsp per single batch or omit it. The black pepper is optional but recommended. You may sub a pinch of white pepper. The Italian seasoning is optional, but you may replace it with a few snips of fresh herbs or a pinch of dried basil. The fresh basil is also optional but can be replaced with a pinch of dried basil or Italian seasoning. The garlic is HIGHLY recommended (I would argue necessary), but if you must you can leave it out OR replace it with 1 shallot, minced. The fresh spinach is necessary for the "green" in the green sauce, but you can use defrosted frozen spinach instead OR I bet you could replace it with curly kale or possibly even green, Swiss, or rainbow chard. I'm not sure if arugula would work since it's peppery, so I can't make that substitution recommendation. Potentially, 1/2 an avocado would work, but that will make the sauce extra rich. Really, if you don't want a green sauce and just a traditional linguine alfredo, omit the greens. The cornstarch is necessary to thicken the sauce, but you can replace it with arrowroot starch, potato starch, OR tapioca starch.
As far as serving recommendations go, you can toss in some sautéed spinach or other sautéed greens, cherry/grape/plum tomatoes (or chopped tomato), or cooked peas. Cooked veggies that would be good on the side include broccoli/cauliflower, green beans, kale chips (crispy kale), asparagus, or sautéed watermelon radishes. If you chose a gluten-free pasta that isn't as high in protein, you can try cooking up a protein on the side if you wish, such as vegan meatballs, crispy turmeric oven-roasted chickpeas, or even pan-seared tofu tossed into the linguine alfredo. Get creative and healthy! You can add flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper, or shaved vegan parmesan for a finishing touch. Or serve however you desire!
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Stick around, more St. Paddy's recipes are on the way!
Happy St. Paddy's Day!
Until then,
ENJOY!
-K.
Vegan/GF Green Linguine Alfredo (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free, Natural, Hidden Veggies, Nut-Free, Coconut-Free Option)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (incl. to boil pasta)
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 to 5 generous helpings
Ingredients (for the pasta):
-8 to 10 oz gluten-free linguine, gluten-free fettuccine, OR gluten-free pasta of choice (pref. choose a high protein pasta // I used a gluten-free four bean linguine // just make sure it doesn't have any egg whites in it)
-3 quarts filtered water
Ingredients (for green alfredo sauce):
-1/2 cup vegan butter (such as Miyoko's or Earth Balance, use soy-free as needed)
-1/3 of a shallot, minced (optional)
-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
-3 cups unsweetened plain soy milk (can sub unsweetened plain oat milk OR unsweetened plain rice milk OR unsweetened plain thin [cartoned] coconut milk OR unsweetened plain nut-free plant milk of choice // can sub unsweetened plain almond milk/nut milk of choice if nuts are ok)
-1 1/2 to 2 cups vegan parmesan shreds/vegan grated parmesan (can sub vegan mozzarella shreds // use coconut-free vegan cheese as needed // see "Substitutions" for substituting w/ nutritional yeast)
-3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-few good cracks black pepper
-pinch Italian seasoning (optional)
-2 to 3 large basil leaves, sliced (optional)
-3 to 4 Tbsp cornstarch (can sub arrowroot starch or tapioca starch)
For serving:
-fresh cherry/grape/plum tomatoes, halved
-flaky sea salt
-few cracks black pepper
-shaved vegan parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. In a large pot, boil gluten-free pasta according to the directions on the package or to desired doneness. For my four bean linguine, it took 6 to 8 minutes. Reserve a little pasta water (like 1/4 cup) to "marry" the sauces later. Drain the pasta and place back in the pot you boiled it in.
2. Meanwhile make the sauce: melt the vegan butter in a large pan on the stove over medium-low heat.
3. Once melted, add the minced shallot (if using) and sauté until caramelized and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and sauté for another minute until golden brown. Remove from heat allow to cool slightly.
4. Add the plant milk, vegan parmesan shreds, spinach leaves, spices/herbs, reserved pasta water, and cooked garlic and/or shallot (be sure to get all the vegan butter that's in the pan too!) to a heat-resistant high-speed blender like a Vitamix (*If you don't have a heat-resistant high-speed blender, wait for the cooked garlic/shallot mixture to cool fully before adding to a blender or food processor). Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour the sauce back into the pan, and add the cornstarch, stirring to dissolve. Cook over low heat until thickened and bubbling, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Add the sauce to the pasta in the pot and toss to combine. If you prefer less sauce with your pasta, you can reserve a little of the green alfredo sauce for leftovers and use it on vegan/GF pizza or vegan/GF garlic bread.
8. Serve with halved cherry/grape tomatoes, additional vegan parm, fresh basil leaves, fresh parsley, flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper, and/or your desired toppings. Serve cooked veggies like broccoli, peas, or sautéed spinach on the side and serve with a vegan protein such as vegan meatballs or pan-seared tofu if desired. Happy St. Paddy's Day! Enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
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